Carton with tear flap and inner promotional panels

ABSTRACT

Double cooperating overlapping closure flaps are provided to form one sidewall of a carton and detachably secured to an edge of one of the flaps is one or more coupons, which are longer in extent than the corresponding dimension of the sidewall of the carton; and to obviate obstruction in the insertion of the coupon upon closing the side flaps after the filling of the carton, provision is made for the supplying of the contents through one end of the carton rather than through the side closure. The end closure, for this purpose, comprises overlapping flaps extending from end edges of the front and back panels of the carton and tabs hinged to one of said sidewall flaps and to the opposite sidewall panel of the carton respectively.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Charles W. Rosenburg, Jr.

North Tonawanda, N .Y. 810,097

Mar. 25, 1969 Feb. 16, 1971 F. N. Burt Company Buffalo, NY.

[2 l Appl. No. [22] Filed [45] Patented [73] Assignee [54] CARTON WITH TEAR FLAP AND INNER Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney-Watson, Cole, Grindle & Watson ABSTRACT: Double cooperating overlapping closure flaps are provided to form one sidewall of a carton and detachably secured to an edge of one of the flaps is one or more coupons, which are longer in extent than the corresponding dimension of the sidewall of the carton; and to obviate obstruction in the insertion of the coupon upon closing the side flaps after the filling of the carton, provision is made for the supplying of the contents through one end of the carton rather than through the side closure. The end closure, for this purpose, comprises overlapping flaps extending from end edges of the front and back panels of the carton and tabs hinged to one of said sidewall flaps and to the opposite sidewall panel of the carton respectively.

CARTON WITH TEAR FLAP AND INNER PROMOTIONAL PANELS This invention relates to cardboard cartons having inward concealed coupons or other promotional panels embodied in the carton and carton blank structure.

The invention has for its principal objects the provision of a carton and blank of this type and methods of constructing, erecting, filling, and opening such a carton, which exhibit considerable improvements over prior structures and usages, especially in avoiding difficulty in the insertion of the promotional panels into the filled carton.

More specifically, in its preferred embodiments, the invention contemplates the provision of a sidewall closure, structurally including the promotional panel or panels, which is intended to be closed and sealed before the filling of the carton, and only to be opened when the package has reached its ultimate destination and the contents and coupons are to be removed. To attain this objective, closure means are provided at one end of the carton through which the carton may be filled after the sidewall closing has been effected and the coupon or promotional panel neatly folded into the interior of the carton and preferably disposed snugly against the inner surface of either the front or back wall thereof.

Preferably, the primary sidewall closure comprises two cooperating flaps hinged respectively to the front and back wall panels, one of these flaps overlapping and adapted to be secured to the other, the latter or underlying flap having the promotional panel detachable secured to one edge by means of a perforated or otherwise weakened crease line.

Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which one'embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a one-piece blank from which -a carton embodying the principles of the invention may be formed;

FIG. 2 is an end view of a carton erected from the blank of FIG. 1, with certain of the end flaps opened to reveal something of the the interior construction of the carton;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the carton with all of the end flaps at one end of the carton opened as for filling the carton with the material or merchandise to be packaged therein;

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the carton fully packed, closed, and sealed for transport and sale;

FIG. 5 is a similar view of the carton in process of being opened by the ultimate consumer, and revealing the coupons concealed therein; and

FIG. 6 is a similar view showing the side flaps fully opened and the coupons removed.

The novel carton itself is designated in the drawings by the general reference numeral 10, and is made from a one piece blank shown in FIG. 1 and identified by the reference numeral 10'.

Before describing the carton and its mode of erection and construction, the various areas of the blank 10 will be mentioned. A front panel or (if the carton should be disposed as in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) side panel is indicated at 12 and an opposite back panel (or bottom panel) at 13. These large panels are connected by a simple planar sidewall panel 14 by means of the hinge or fold lines 15 and 16.

Flanking the front wall panel 12 on the left in FIG. 1, are two modified panels 18 and 19, which go to make up a superior or outer closure flap as will be described. The panel 19 is hingedly connected to the front panel 12 by the score line 20 and the two panels 18 and 19 are joined by the fold line 21.

Joined to the remote right-hand edge of the back panel 13 along the line 23 is the complementary side closure flap 25 which, in the completed structure, underlies the flap com prised by the panels 18 and 19.

Detachably secured to the outer edge of panel 25, by means of the perforated hinge line 26, is a double panel comprised of the coupons or promotional panels 28 and 29, separated by the line of severance 27.

Hinged at the upper edges of the front panel 112, the integral side wall panel M, and the back wall panel 13, are the end closure flaps 30, 31, and 32 respectively. The fourth closure flap 33, at this upper end portion of the carton structure is hinged to the nether sidewall closure flap 25 as at 34.

Exactly similar opposite end closure flaps are provided at the lower end portion of the blank at 30', 31', 32', and 33'.

A finger opening 35 is cut into the panel 25 adjacent the line of severance 26.

In forming a laminated upper closure flap (to be referred to as 40) from the panels 15 and 19, streaks of adhesive 37 and 38 are applied near the junction line 21, so that when these subpanels are folded over they will be secured together at least at their outwardly projecting portions'as viewed in FIGS. 4- -6.

Upon the under surface of panel 15, as viewed in FIG. 1, are two series of circular cuts or punched portions 42 which carry only part way through the cardboard material; and also outlined by a boundary of perforations 44 at the remote edge portion of the panel 18, is a rectangular area 45. Both the area 45 and the circular areas 42 are coated with a suitable adhesive on their rear surfaces, as viewed in FIG. 1. When the sidewall closure is effected the upper orouter flap 40 is thus adhered firmly to the lower or inner flap 25, which has already been brought to a position in the plane of the carton end and follow ing the insertion of the attached panel 25, 29 into the interior of the carton.

The novel mode of handling and utilization of the novel carton will now be described. The sidewall closing and the coupon insertion are effected as set forth immediately above, and then the bottom end closure, comprising the four flaps 30, 31 32', and 33, is closed and sealed by the application of adhesive in the usual way; however it is preferred that the curved flap 33' be folded into position beneath the others, and of course this latter flap 33 is not glued in place.

Next the carton is set up on end as depicted in FIG. 3, with the upper end closure flaps in open position. The carton is then filled through the opening thus provided, with no interference or obstruction with reference to the promotional panel 28 and 29.

The top closure comprising flaps 30, 3f, 32, and 33 is closed (with curved flap 33 in the innennost position and without adhering to the other three flaps).

The filled carton is then in condition for transport and merchandising.

Afier purchase, the user inserts a finger beneath the central portion of the double outer flap 40, and with a steady pull lifts the flap, first breaking the connection with the area 45 along the line of severance 44, leaving that area attached to the lower flap 25. Further lifting of the flap d0 bursts the adhesive connection at the spots 42, delaminating the cardboard material at these points, a layer of the material adhering to the flap 25 as suggested at 32a in FIG. 5. (The specific details of this form of closure are the subject of a copending application assigned to the assignee of this present application.)

When the upper flap M) is lifted clear of the lower side flap 25, the latter is engaged at the semicircular opening 35 by the finger of the user and the flap 25 with its attached coupons or promotional matter 25 and 29, pulled out of the carton as clearly indicated in FIG. 5; and finally the coupons are removed by tearing along the line 27.

The curved configuration of the flaps or tabs 33 and 33' facilitates the opening and closing of the flap 25, and these tabs also provide sidewalls to confine the contents of the carton if such contents are to be poured from the carton across the opened flap 25;

The scope of the invention is, of course, not to be deter mined by the exemplary disclosures herein, but by the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A one-piece carton formed of self-supporting sheet material such as cardboard or the like, said carton having a front wall and a back wall, oppositely disposed end walls, and oppositely disposed sidewalls; one of said end walls embodying closure means as for use in filling the carton; one of said sidewalls embodying a second closure means as for use in dispensing the contents of the carton; said second closure means comprising an inner flap hinged to said back wall and folded over at a right-angle to the plane of said back wall and extended to the plane of the front wall, said second closure means also including an outer flap member comprising two plies of material adhesively secured together, one of said plies and therefore the outer flap member itself being hinged to the edge of the front wall, the outer flap member overlying the inner flap member, and adhesive means detachably securing the outer flap member to the inner flap member, and a panel containing promotional material hinged along a tear line of perforations and extending from the outermost edge of the inner flap, said inner flap being of a length equal to the width of the carton so that, in closed position, the junction of the inner flap and the promotional panel coincides with an edge of the sidewall area, whereby said panel will lie alongside the inner surface of the front wall of the carton, out of the way of the contents when the carton is being filled through the end closure means. 

1. A one-piece carton formed of self-supporting sheet material such as cardboard or the like, said carton having a front wall and a back wall, oppositely disposed end walls, and oppositely disposed sidewalls; one of said end walls embodying closure means as for use in filling the carton; one of said sidewalls embodying a second closure means as for use in dispensing the contents of the carton; said second closure means comprising an inner flap hinged to said back wall and folded over at a right-angle to the plane of said back wall and extended to the plane of the front wall, said second closure means also including an outer flap member comprising two plies of material adhesively secured together, one of said plies and therefore the outer flap member itself being hinged to the edge of the front wall, the outer flap member overlying the inner flap member, and adhesive means detachably securing the outer flap member to the inner flap member, and a panel containing promotional material hinged along a tear line of perforations and extending from the outermost edge of the inner flap, said inner flap being of a length equal to the width of the carton so that, in closed position, the junction of the inner flap and the promotional panel coincides with an edge of the sidewall area, whereby said panel will lie alongside the inner surface of the front wall of the carton, out of the way of the contents when the carton is being filled through the end closure means. 